Car-door-locking mechanism



, Aug. 21, 1928. 1,681,669

. B. w.- KADEL' CAR DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM Filed June 2;1924

uuautoz Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

- UNITED STATES BYERS W. KADEL, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CAR-DOOR-LOCKING MECHANISM.

Application filed June 2, 1927. Serial No. 196,063.

My invention relates to car door locking mechanism, and more particularly to looks for retaining in closed position hinged doors adapted to swing to open position under the influence of gravity to permit tlie,.lading of the car to be discharged. The principal object of the invention is to provide strong and efficient means for forcing a movable door locking member to and from locked position.

A primary feature of the invention consists in providing a door locking mechanism having a fixed member and a movable member with means for forcing the door to closed position upon movement of the last named member to locked position and in combining therewith means affording a plurality of fulcrum. points for a removable lever adapted to force the pivoted member to and from locked position.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a fixed locking member on the car body and a pivoted locking member on the door, the. members being arranged for wedging engagement to force the door to closed position, and in associating therewith means carried by the car body having spaced portions affording fulcrum points for a removable lever passing therebetween, whereby upon engagement of said lever with one of said fulcrum points the pivoted member may be forced to locked position and upon engagement of said lever with the other of said fulcrum points the pivoted member may be forced to unlocked position.

Another and more specific feature of the invention consists in affording. in combination with the gravity actuated door of a railway car, door supporting mechanism involving a member fixed on the car body and a member pivoted on the door, said members having wedging cooperation for forcing the door to closed position, and in combining herewith a loop member rigid with the fixed member having upper and lower portions forming respectively fulcrum points for a removable lever adapted to cooperate with the pivoted member for forcing the latter into and out of engagement with the fixed member.

Other features of the invention residing in particular details of construction and combination of parts, will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational View of aportion of one of the hoppers of a railway car of a-well known type showing mechanism involving the invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 1, showing the door in a position'of partial closure. 7 As the door locking mechanism embodymg the invention is shown as applied to a railway car of a type in common use, only a portion of one of the hoppers of the car has been illustrated. The hopper portion of the carmay be constructed in the usual manner with hopper side sheets 1 anda slope sheet 2. The outer .or free ends of these plates which are reinforced by the member ,3 define the opening through which lading is discharged from the hopper. This discharge opening is normally closed by the swinging door l which may be hinged to the car body in any desired or usual manner (not shown) so as to swing to open position under the influence of gravity. The door 4 may advantageously be constructed of sheet metal and is preferably provided with marginal flanges 5 serving to stiffen it.

While there is illustrated a single hopper and a portion of the coacting door it will be understood that the construction is duplicated. on the opposite side of the car center sill and that the door shown is but one of a pair of doors rigidly connected by a spreader or stiffening member 6 so as to cause said doors to operate as a single unit. In the present instance this spreader member is of channel section having lateral flanges 7 secured to the outer face of the door by rivets 8.

Rigidly attached to the outer side of the side sheet 1, preferably by means of rivets 9, is a hook member 10 whose outer end projects beyond the plane of the hopper discharge opening. The hook is fashioned with a beveled or inclined portion 11 terminating in a shoulder or ledge 12.

Pivotallymounted on the door by means of a-pivot post or rivet 13 in overlapping relation to the outer face of the connecting luu Web 1 1 of the spreader 6, is a latch member 15 movable into engagement with the ledge 12 of the hook for supporting the door in closed position. A housing or cover plate 16, A

hook during closing movement of the door.

The web portions of the housing 16 and spreader 6 are effectively secured together by the pivot rivet 18.

As is well known, it is often very difficult to effect a complete closure of the swinging doors of hopper cars. This is due to the fact that the doors become warped or distorted because of the service to which they are subjected, and moreover, small pieces of lading sometimes lodge in positions mak ing complete closure of the doors a matter of considerable diiiiculty. It is, however, usually possible inbars of the character wherein the doors on opposite sides of the center sills are connected to operate as a unit, to effect complete closure of one side of the door and a partial closure of the opposite side. In the present instance complete closure of the partially closed side of the door is effected by rotating the latch 15 into engagement with the beveled or inclined surface 11 of the hook. It can readily be seen that as the latch rides downwardly on this surface the wedging action of these two members effectively forces the door to its fully closed position. As considerable force is required to cause the latch to execute a locking rotation for forcing the door to fully closed position and as some force is also required to rotate'the latch in the opposite direct-ion to permit the discharge of lading, means is provided on the car body for cooperating with a removable lever 19 to effect a rotation of the latch in the desired direction. This means which is preferably formed rigidwith the hook 10 consists of a loop 20 having spaced upper and lower portions or arms 21 and 22, respectively, forming fulcrum points for the removable lever. When it is desired to move the latch to locked position and thereby force the door to fully closed position the lever is inserted through the loop into engagement with the upper edge of the latch. as shown in Figure 3. Upon applying an upward force to the opposite end of the lever the upper portion 21 of the loop functions as a fulcrum on which the lever rotates. For moving the latch to unlocked position, the lever is brought into engagement with the lower edge of the latch,'as shown in Figure 1, and the lower portion 22 ofthe loop then functions as the fill-- crum point around which the lever rotates upon application of a downwardly directed force to the opposite end of the latter.

A cam 23 is provided for preventing accidental displacement of the latch from door supporting position. The cam is pivot-ally connected by a pin 24 to the strap or housing 25 which is secured to the outer face of the door, preferably by rivets 26. In

dotted lines in Figure 2. I The pin is preferably connected to a chain 28 which may be secured to some adjacent portion of the door such as the strap 25. It will be appreciated that the pin may also function to prevent accidental disengagement of the cam from the latch.

I claim:

1. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for said opening movable to open position under the influence of gravity, means for supporting the door in closed position involving a shouldered member and a beam member, one of said members being fixed with respect to the part upon which it is mounted and the other being pivoted with respect to the part upon which it is mounted, andv one of said members being provided with an inclined portion cooperable with the other of said members to force the door to closed position upon a locking rotation of the pivoted member, and means carried by the car body forming a pluralityof fulcrum points respectively adapted to cooperate with a removable lever for forcing the pivoted memher into and out of door supporting position.

2. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said opening movable to .open position under the influence of gravity, mechanism for supporting the door in closed position involving a shouldered member carried by the car body and a beam member carried by the door one of;said members being fixed with respect to the part upon which it is mounted and the other being movable with respect to the part upon which it is mounted, one of said members having an inclined portion adapted for engagement with the other of said members for wedging the door to closed position, and means carried by the car body affording a'plurality of fulcrum points for a removable lever adapted to force the movable member to and from locked position.

3. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said opening movable to open position under the influence of gravity, a hook member fixedly mounted on the car body, a latch member pivotally mounted on the door and cooper able with the hook for supporting the door 4. A railway ear having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said opening movable to open position under the influence of ravit means for su ortin said I h u u I I door in closed position involving a fixed shouldered member carried by the car body,

and a pivoted latch member carried by the door, an inclined portion on said fixed member adapted to cooperate with said pivoted member for forcing the door to closed position, and means carried by the car body forming a plurality of fulcrum points for a removable lever adapted to force said pivoted member to and from locked position.

5. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said opening movable to open position under the influence of gravity, means for supporting said door in closed position involving a fixed member and a pivoted member, one of said members being carried by the car body and the other by the door, one of said members having an inclined portion cooperable with the other of said members for wedging the door to closed position, and means carried by the car body having spaced portions affording fulcrum points for a removable lever passing therebetween, whereby upon engagement of said lever with one of said fulcrum points the pivoted member may be forced to locked position and upon engagement of said lever with theother of said fulcrum points the pivoted member may be forced to unlocked position.

6. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said open ing movable to open position under the influence of gravity, means for maintaining the door in closed position involving a fixed member and a pivoted member, one of said members being carried by the car body and the other by the door, said members having wedging engagement for forcing the door to closed position, and means carried by the car body having upper and lower portions forming fulcrum points for a removable lever so that upon engagement of the lever with the upper portion the latch may be forced to locked position and upon engagement of the lever with the lower portion the latch may be forced to unlocked position.

7. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said opening movable to'open position under the inffuence of gravity, door supporting mechanism involving a member fixed on the car body and a member pivoted on. the :door, saidmembers having wedging cooperation for forcing the .door to closed position, and a loop member rigid with the fixed member having upper and lower portions forming fulcrum points for a removable lever adapted to cooperate with the pivoted member for forcing the latter into and out of engagement with the fixed member.

8. A railway carhaving a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said openmg movable to open position under the influence of gravity, mechanism for supporting the door in closed position involving a fixed member and a movable member, one of said members being carried by the door and the other by the car body, said members having wedging engagement for forcing the door to closed position upon movement of the movable member to door supporting position, and means associated with the mechanism affording a fulcrum for a removable lever whereby the movable member may be forced to said door supporting position.

9. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said opening movable to open position underthe in fluence of gravity, mechanism for supporting the door in closed position involving a shouldered member carried by the car body and a beam member carried by the door, one of said members being fixed with respect to the part upon which it is mounted and the other being pivoted with respect to the part upon which it is mounted, a wedging surface on one of said members for forcing the door to closed position upon movement of the pivoted member to door supporting position, and means associated with the mechanism affording a fulcrum for a removable lever whereby the pivoted member may be forced to said door supporting position.

10. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said open ing movable to open position under the influence of gravity, means for supporting the door in closed position involving a fixed member carried by the car body and a movable member carried by the door, one of said members being provided with a wedging surface cooperable with the other of said members for forcing the door to closed position upon movement of the movable member to door supporting position, and means carried by the car body affording a fulcrum for a removable lever adapted to force the movable member to said door supporting position.

11. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door for closing said opening movable to open position under the influence of gravity, a hook fixed on the car body, a latch pivoted on the door coopering outwardly from the-car body forming a able with the hook for supportingthe door fulcrum for a removable lever adapted to in closed position, the said hook being proforce the pivoted latch to said door support- 10 vided with an incline engageablei with the ing position. I o g I 5 latch so that upon movement of the latter In testimony whereof I afiix lily-signature. to door supporting position the door Will be Y forced to closed position, and means projee'te s BYERS' WV. KADEL. 

